Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano confirmed them as Europa Conference League champions and capped a 12-month run that also included FA Cup and Community Shield victories, according to the source.
The triumph also made Palace the ninth Premier League team to qualify for European competition next season, matching the all-time record, according to the source.
The usual route provided part of the explanation: the top four in the Premier League — Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa — qualified for the Champions League, with Aston Villa securing fourth after manager Unai Emery’s side beat Liverpool in the penultimate round of fixtures, according to the source.
Additional slots were affected by the European Performance Spot (EPS), introduced in 2024-25 and awarded to the domestic league whose clubs perform best in European competition. The Premier League has claimed the EPS in both seasons since its introduction, which pushed the Europa League places normally awarded to fifth and sixth down one place. As a result, Bournemouth and Sunderland will play in the Europa League next season for the first time in their histories, according to the source.
Brighton finished eighth and enter the Europa Conference League, while Palace — despite a 15th-place league finish — join Bournemouth and Sunderland in the Europa League courtesy of their continental victory. The entry of nine English teams equals the record set the previous season, when six English clubs reached the Champions League thanks in part to the EPS and Tottenham’s Europa League triumph. After a poor 2025-26 campaign, Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest all drop out of European competition, according to the source.
